Ahmedabad, March 9 (IANS) India pacer Arshdeep Singh credited the team’s depth and collective strength after the Men in Blue clinched the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup title with a commanding win over New Zealand in the final at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday.
Speaking of the squad’s confidence throughout the tournament, Arshdeep said the belief came from the sheer number of game-changers in the side. “And it’s a fantastic team, there are match-winners everywhere in this team, so there was belief from the start that we would perform well, and whatever the result is, that’s just the topping on the cake,” he told broadcasters after the game.
The left-arm pacer also addressed the brief on-field moment with Daryl Mitchell, when a throw from his follow-through struck the batter during New Zealand’s chase. Arshdeep clarified that he immediately apologised for the incident. “I went to say sorry to Mitchell. My throw reverse-swung a bit too much and it hit his body, so I told him that I didn’t hit him intentionally.”
Despite playing a key role in India’s bowling effort, Arshdeep admitted that the scale of the achievement had not yet fully sunk in. “I don’t really know what the emotion feels like right now, sir. At the moment it feels good because we’re winning, but in two or three days we’ll know when the emotions sink in, how it actually feels.”
With India posting a huge total in the final, the bowlers had a clear plan about their job in defence. “The role of the bowlers is that if the batsmen are scoring 250, then you have to stop them below 250, that’s the role we kept for ourselves. And if we bowl first, then try to restrict them to as low as possible and give the batters a chance to play freely.”
Even after the high-pressure final, Arshdeep ended the night in a light-hearted mood, hinting at celebrations off the field. “I’ll go upstairs and bring my phone now, I’ve thought of ten or fifteen reels, let’s see how many we make. But it’s been great, I enjoyed it a lot.”
–IANS
vi/
